Nigerians will cast their votes on Saturday in presidential and legislative elections

At a time when Nigeria is preparing for the 2019 general elections, around five people lost their lives in southeast Nigeria during clashes between supporters of the two main political parties namely All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the Delta state police spokesperson, Andrew Aniamaka, all the five people killed during the clashes were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). They were shot in an apartment in Effurun, near the oil city of Warri, on Sunday.

“The victims were shot in a likely revenge attack by persons suspected to be from opposing political parties in the area,” revealed Aniamaka, reported Eyewitness News.

However, he claimed that calm has been restored in the area and everything was being done to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur before the Nigeria 2019 general elections.

The Uvwie local government chairman Ramson Onoyake has confirmed that six persons have been arrested in connection with the shooting.

Last week, two Nigerian electoral commission offices housing voting materials were burned down by miscreants in Abia and Plateau states. Nigeria’s Independent Electoral Electoral Commission revealed that more than 10,000 permanent voters’ cards and 755 ballot boxes were destroyed in the fire.

However, the INEC ensured that elections will go as ahead as scheduled in the affected states as it had made arrangements to print new voter cards to replace those destroyed in the fire.

“The Commission wishes to assure Nigerians that it will not succumb to the antics of an arsonist whose motive might create fear in the minds of voters and sabotage the conduct of the 2019 general elections,” said Festus Okoye, INEC spokesman.

Nigerians will cast their votes on Saturday in presidential and legislative elections. The Nigeria 2019 general election will see incumbent Muhammadu Buhari contest for a second four-year term against former vice president Atiku Abubakar who is very close to Buhari in the presidential race.